Shifter Romance Box Set

by Unknown

  Then a sharp bite sank into her breast and her eyes rolled back from the searing pain. Unable to move or shout, her body lolled helplessly as they latched onto her and pulled, tearing her belly open.

  The jolt recoiled through her and she tumbled into emptiness, falling, falling...

  Instinctively, Lacey braced her arm as she dropped from the mattress and her knees banged on the stone floor. Kneeling for a moment, she took in ragged breaths. The pounding in her chest slowly receded and soon she was able to sit up.

  She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but her body tingled with newness. All the aches and sharp pains were gone, leaving only a few small scabs as evidence of her ordeal. The sleep had done wonders, even if the dreams had been torturous. But as she flexed her shoulders and her muscles responded with a fresh wave of energy, she thought it was worth it.

  The thick candle near the bed had burnt down to its stub. In the dim, guttering light she found a silky shift and pulled it over her head. Lightweight linen pants sat at the foot of the bed, and she donned them too. Though she guessed they might have been made for a man, as her toes barely stuck out of the legs.

  Lacey frowned and brushed her hands over herself, pausing to roll up the cuffs of the pants. The clothes were awkward, but they would have to make do. They were better than nothing, and at least she was satisfied that they wouldn't fall off.

  She trailed her fingertips along the wall as she made her way down the tunnel.

  As her eyes adjusted in the murk she saw what looked like a carpet, spreading out on the floor in front of her. But as she walked onto it, she realized it was a faint, muted-green mist hovering over the ground. It was luminous, like moonlight, but the glow only reached to her ankles. Instead, wisps fluttered over her bare feet and yet, she couldn't feel it touching her skin.

  Anxiety crept into her mind as she braced on the cave wall. Is it poisonous? But after holding her breath until her chest screamed for air, she finally took a tentative sniff.

  It didn't smell like anything. Even to her heightened wolf-senses that could have told of the age and health of a cow by sniffing a steak. The green fog was nothing, completely inert, as if it didn't exist.

  It wasn't a threat, she decided as she took a step forward. Her senses would have alerted if it was. Besides, though the stuff didn't look or smell real, it made her feel a bit strange. There was a new well of energy curling in her belly, where the fear used to be. And below that too, where the tender crease of her sex tingled with warmth.

  She followed the sage-tinted earth to another opening in the rock. In the dim light from the steamy mist, she recognized the werewolf couple at the center of a roomy cavern.

  Jeremiah's face was smooth serenity as he sat, nude, with his legs crossed and an aura of dusky green surrounding him. Rebecca stood, also naked, facing him with her hand on her hip. She studied the billowing haze with an intense stare, the corners of her eyes creased with concern. The glow reflected off her perky breasts and the smooth curves of her hips like a jade statue in the dim light.

  His head tilted down as his body gently lifted up to hover over the ground and Lacey gasped, her mind reeling in awe. Was it some kind of stage trick? But she couldn't see any props, and the couple wasn't performing for anyone. They didn't even know she was watching.

  Lacey crouched to her haunches, making herself smaller as she braced with one palm on the ground and the other to the rock wall. The unnatural fog rolled like small waves, dissipating in swirls as shivers danced up her thighs.

  Over the past month, she'd grown used to the fact that she was a werewolf. She even enjoyed it—with some assistance from her husband and Cole. A warm blush rose to her cheeks as her body throbbed in response to the memory.

  But this was something else. It couldn't be a trick, since she felt the power as it passed through her skin, caressing her body like a warm lover.

  She bit her lip and tried to push her heightened arousal aside. If werewolves were real, then other mysteries could be true too. Why not magic, or whatever the couple was up to? With that thought she peered back into the room.

  Swirling mist cleared in front of Jeremiah like a road of negative space, and Rebecca strode through the gap with confident steps. As she entered the circle, her scarlet hair lifted off her back, floating as if she walked through water. The glow intensified with each footstep, lighting the backs of her legs.

  Rebecca cupped her hand on Jeremiah's knee and looked up at him with a fire in her eyes and a smile on her lips. Billowing like fire, her hair flitted above her head. She could have been an angel as she stood before him, her skin aglow with subtle brilliance.

  Jeremiah remained fixed, like a marble statue of some ancient deity with smooth features and a thick, jutting cock. In his trance state, his relaxed face betrayed only a hint of a smile.

  An intense column of light rose from the floor, illuminating his throat and chin, while shadowing his eyes. But even darkened, their depths smoldered with heat.

  Lacey's breath quickened as the spectacle unfolded before her. It was an otherworldly dance: slow, purposeful, mesmerizing, like a dream that didn't quite belong in this world.

  Rebecca braced against Jeremiah for a moment, gripping his shoulder as she mounted his lap. With her arms wrapped around his neck, and her calves dangling from his hips, she sat perfectly in the curve of his crossed legs.

  She arched her back, cat-like, as she rubbed her chest to his face. Then she reached beneath her, closing her fist around his hard cock. With firm, drawing motions, she worked it, rubbing the tip against the cleft of her crotch. Ever so slowly, she coaxed him inside her, toying with him as if barely sipping a fine glass of wine. And inch by inch, his length disappeared, until she fully impaled herself. Rocking slowly, she undulated atop his rigid shaft.

  Lacey's lips parted and she swallowed the gasp that tried to escape from her throat. I shouldn't be watching them, she chided herself. Yet the flutter in her belly held her frozen, unable to do anything else. And the dampness between her thighs demanded attention too, but she wasn't about to indulge that, though she desperately wanted to. Not here, crouched in a cave.

  Rebecca's hands clenched on his shoulders and she writhed as she rode him. She lifted herself off his lap, exposing his glistening cock, and then she plunged down again, sheathing him in her body.

  Lacey's fingers twitched as she watched the red-haired woman's buttocks tense with each deep penetration. Their joining was rhythmic and yet forceful, bestial and beautiful.

  Sparks jumped from their skin and motes of fluff drifted around them. Rebecca kissed Jeremiah and pressed the side of her cheek to his head, then closed her eyes. Her thrusting slowed and a blissful smile spread on her lips. The elegant curve of her back tightened as her hips rolled in small circles, grinding against him.

  A beam of blinding radiance flared around the couple, consuming them. Lacey shielded her eyes and staggered back into the tunnel as a kinetic wave of power swept through her. She gasped, unable to stifle the sound, as tingles rippled over her skin.

  A tiny spark leapt from the room, hovering like a firefly before it alighted on her breast. It flickered against her skin and a thrill of electric desire pulsed in her chest. She braced herself against the wall with one hand as it winked out and the darkness closed in around her.

  Lacey blinked and gritted her teeth as she tried to see into the blackness. There was no sound in the corridor except for her own heavy breath. It was as if the couple had disappeared along with the light, and the strange mystical display with them.

  Feeling her way along the wall, she found the little nook of a cavern that served as her room. She sat on the edge of the bed and stared into the meager candle light. Between the warmth of the room and the lingering pulse in her loins, she longed to take off the ill-fitting clothes and sink back into the rough blankets. But instead she busied herself by brushing her fingers through her tangled hair.

  The raw intensity had faded to a lonely ache, but if
anything, it was more poignant now, deeper. Though the image of Rebecca and Jeremiah together had stirred her in ways she couldn't explain, at that moment her thoughts turned to Mark. Damned if she wasn't going to jump him the moment she saw him.

  * * * *

  Mark's claws dug into the rocky incline with ease. As if guided by instinct, he bounded up the hillside effortlessly, finding purchase on solid boulders and outcroppings.

  His two companions were less fortunate though. Cole's tongue lolled out of his muzzle as he slipped on loose pebbles. Even the tan wolf lagged behind Mark, his pace cautious as he navigated the steep slope.

  The black wolf they followed stood like a sentinel at the top of the hill, waiting with a cold gleam in his dark eyes.

  With a last, quick leap, Mark joined him atop the rise and gave a nod of acknowledgement. But the black wolf turned away.

  Mark snorted and looked up at the afternoon sky. He didn't know the other werewolf, but he understood the agonizing sense of impatience.

  Time was different when he was shifted. Instead of human concepts like minutes and hours, it was measured in bursts of animal urgency: hunger, fear... even lust. Shaking his shaggy head, he tried to refocus himself. He needed to find Lacey, wherever she was. That was what mattered.

  The tan wolf reached the ridge, and the three wolves waited as Cole finished the climb, dragging his dark lupine body onto even ground. Then he whimpered and collapsed.

  Mark glanced down with annoyance. As a wolf, his own muscles were limber, eager to run and climb through the wilderness. He was ready to do whatever needed to be done. First lose the agent-wolves. Then find Lacey.

  Their pursuers had figured out their trick, and howls had followed them through the day, echoing off the valley walls. Mark didn't know where they were going, but the new wolves were trying to help them. And they would have lost the agents by now, if not for Cole's sluggishness.

  The black wolf's body contorted and his limbs elongated as he half-shifted into a furry, humanoid form. A growl rolled through his chest. "We need to keep moving." His voice grated like rocks rubbing together.

  Cole strained to stand but his leg faltered. Then his fur shrank from his flesh and his paws stretched into fingers. His naked body lay on the ground, heaving for air. "I—I'm not used to this shit." He wiped the sweat from his brow. "We don't have too many mountains back home."

  In one fluid motion, the tan wolf stood up, his paws flattening out into feet and his shoulders broadening into that of a man's. Short spiky blonde hair covered his scalp and his jaw was stern, set like a drill sergeant. If the man was concerned about his nudity, he didn't show any sign of it.

  "We don't have much time." He rubbed his chin as he glanced down the hill. "Take a moment to catch your breath but then we need to be on our feet again."

  Mark's body trembled as his organs realigned and his bones reshaped, sending searing pain through his muscles. The change rippled through him and he bit down on his tongue. His wolf form slipped away as he reluctantly gave up that sense of himself that was linked to the wild.

  "I get that we need to keep moving," Mark groaned as his voice returned with the end of the painful transformation. He stood up, stretching his back. "But we don't even know who you are, or what the hell is going on." He interlocked his fingers, flexing them, as he fixed the man with a defiant gaze.

  "Torry." Then he pointed to the black half-wolf. "And that's Jax. You met the twins earlier." Clearing his throat, he grimaced as he gazed at Mark. "There's no time to explain but you are in danger and we were sent to bring you to the pack." He glanced down at Cole as he rose to his feet. "This one wasn't with you before. How do you know him?"

  "His name's Cole and how I know him is none of your business." Mark crossed his arms. "Do you know what happened to my wife?"

  "The woman is already at our camp," Jax hissed through his muzzle. He crouched on his haunches, one clawed hand braced on the ground as if he were preparing to bolt.

  "You've seen her?"

  Mark took a step forward but the black beast snarled, stopping him in his tracks.

  "You should be more concerned about your own hide," Jax sneered. Then he sniffed the air. "They're getting closer."

  Torry frowned. "We need to get going. Quickly, bring out the beast."

  "I don't think I can." Cole rubbed his hands together as a blush crept up his cheeks. "This is the first time Mark and I have changed during the daylight."

  Torry raised an eyebrow as he glanced from one man to the other.

  With a sigh, Mark tried to focus. The transformation called to him, like wind through the forest at the edge of his senses. But it was elusive in the stark afternoon light. And without the moon or primal urges to drive it, his rational mind rebelled.

  He tried to concentrate on anger and pain—his home violated, his own life in danger, his wife disappearing. But the more he thought about it, the more it slipped away from him. He gritted his teeth and growled.

  "Oh great." Jax curled his clawed fingers into a fist. "Why are we risking our lives for these two again?"

  Torry shook his head. "There's a hunter's blind about half a mile ahead of us. But we need to sprint." He waved his arm as he broke into a run. "Let's move it."

  Mark ran after Torry, with Cole on his heels. Jax's fur-covered body flowed back into a black wolf before he disappeared into the trees.

  Without his wolf form, Mark expected his steps to be sluggish. But once he forced the absurdity of three naked men in the woods out of his mind, he found his muscles were still buzzing with vigor. Transforming might be a bitch, but perhaps he didn't need to. Even as a man, he could still sense a thin breeze, like night air in the wilderness, tickling the farthest reaches of his animal brain.

  He ran on two legs. And though the brush scratched him and branches slapped painfully against his bare skin, he didn't care. In his mind he was as fast as a wolf. His body's form didn't matter; he belonged in these woods.

  So it didn't surprise him when he left Cole—and even Torry—behind and caught sight of Jax's black tail. It was only when they reached the top of another rise, he and the black wolf together, that he realized his feet should have been bleeding. But when Mark lifted them, they weren't even scratched.

  Hell, he was barely winded. That didn't make any sense, but then neither did being a werewolf.

  Jax gave him a wary look as he half-shifted into a black-furred creature again, then turned his back. And it was just as well. Mark had enough to think about on his own, without having a conversation with a monster. Together they waited silently until a red-faced Torry and wheezing Cole joined them.

  The men traveled the last few yards together, into a well-hidden thicket. Torry pulled back a screen of leaves, exposing a small, wooden shed. Once inside they had a clear view of the path they had taken, with a rocky outcrop protecting their rear.

  "Do you know how to shoot?" Torry asked as he pulled a loose floorboard up.

  "Oh hell, yes." Mark grinned as the man handed him a rifle.

  "Before you get too excited, put these on." He set a large duffle bag on the ground.

  Inside Mark found several sets of cargo pants, heavy cotton shirts, and boots.

  "So who are these... werewolves?" Cole asked as he slipped on the pants.

  "It's hard to say, really." Torry grimaced and pulled a shirt over his head. "I need to discuss it with Jer, first."

  Mark's brows raised. "Who?"

  "Our leader." Torry popped the chamber rod open before cocking it back into place. "Jeremiah."

  Cole looked up from the boots he'd pulled on. "That's the guy in the note. But he doesn't mention anything about Lacey."

  Torry knelt in front of the thin opening and braced the rifle on the frame as he checked the sight. "That's because they attacked her after we left the note." Slowly he turned the gun, aiming at the dense tree line.

  Mark's eyes widened. "She was attacked?"

  The rifle fired and the shot rang in Mark
's ears.

  "They're coming." Torry cocked the rifle, launching the empty shell against the wall, and fired again. "Feel free to join in whenever you want."

  Mark checked the chamber, locked the rocker back in place and braced next to the man.

  Cole picked up a shotgun. "You've got a lot of weapons. Are you hiding out here?"

  "We're living, not hiding." Torry glanced back with irritation. "You know how to use that?"

  Cole cocked the gun with one hand and nodded.

  "Be ready to blast them when they get close. It won't kill them." A devilish smile played on Torry's lips. "But it will hurt like hell."

  Mark watched the trees. Then movement caught his eye and he leaned down, focusing through the scope. He counted four wolves dashing straight for them. Carefully, he lined up the crosshairs and exhaled as he pulled the trigger.

  The gun lurched in his hand, the clap muffling his hearing. But when he looked back, the wolf appeared at least a meter off to the side of his original position. "What the hell?"

  "They're fast," Torry growled as he lined up another shot. "Faster than I've ever seen." His rifle fired again and Mark watched as the wolf flashed out of the way like a lightning strike.

  "Goddamn." Mark wiped his brow.

  Cole braced the shotgun in his arms. "How do we fight that?"

  A loud thump reverberated through the roof. Then a large, black half-wolf landed in front of the hunter's blind.

  Jax looked over his shoulder and growled, "With silver."

  A quiver hung over his furry back and he leveled the large crossbow in his claws.

  With a click, the bolt sailed through the air and stuck in a tree just ahead of the big gray wolf. The beast skidded to a halt, and he snarled with his yellow eyes wide as he ducked behind the trunk. The other wolves broke off their charge, dashing off to the sides, where they hid out of sight.

  Torry curled his lip. "I thought you were a sick fuck for dipping those in silver. Never thought we'd be fighting our own kind."

  Jax shrugged his shoulder as he flashed his sharp teeth.